1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to methods and apparatus for monitoring aqueous samples, in particular, waste waters, to determine their suitability for discharge into large bodies of water such as lakes, rivers and seas. In particular, the invention relates to methods and apparatus for determining the carbon content of such aqueous samples.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is a known method for determining the total carbon content and the inorganic carbon content of an aqueous sample. According to this method, each of these quantities is measured difference between the two. According to this method, the organic carbon is catalytically burned to form carbon dioxide, and any inorganic carbon is thermally decomposed to form carbon dioxide.
Another known method determines the consumption of oxidizing agent by catalytic combustion, with the oxygen required for the oxidation being determined by physical chemical measurement methods.
The known methods all involve the use of relatively complicated apparatus and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide methods and apparatus which enable one to operate continuously in a far simpler manner than has been heretofore possible.
In addition, the known methods can only be used for one determination at a time, namely, either the determination of the carbon content of the sample or the determination of the consumption of oxidizing agent. This represents a disadvantage since the ability to obtain both values simultaneously would make the results substantially greater in probative value for judging the quality of a water sample. Thus, another object of the present invention is to provide a method which can simultaneously determine the consumption of oxidizing agent and the inorganic and organic carbon content of an aqueous sample.